1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information processing apparatus which can be used by the visually-handicapped and by the hearing and visually impaired, as well as by normal users.
2. Description of the Related Art
An investigation made in February, 1987 by the Ministry of Public Welfare of Japan indicates that the number of physically-handicapped people of at least 18 years old in Japan is 2.4 millions. Among them, the number of visually-handicapped people is 307,000, which corresponds to 12.7% of the total number of physically-handicapped people. Only 17,000 of these visually-handicapped people have been hired in Japan on a full-time basis. This number corresponds to only 5.5% of the total number of visually-handicapped people.
Even physically-handicapped people must deal with the new technology possessed by the current information-oriented society. We are surrounded with many kinds of information processing apparatuses, such as copiers, facsimile apparatuses, personal computers and the like. The use of such information processing apparatuses is considered to be one of the greatest handicaps possessed by a visually-handicapped person who intends to adapt himself to social life. Since tasks relating to information processing, such as the preparation of programs and the like, can be performed even at one's home, such tasks are essentially suitable for physically-handicapped people. However, various restrictions present in current information processing apparatuses hinder physically-handicapped people from fully participating in society.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional information processing apparatus. In the present case, a description will be provided illustrating a printer which is frequently used as a piece of peripheral equipment for a personal computer. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the external appearance of the printer.
In FIG. 1, a data input device 1 receives character data from a personal computer in the form of parallel or serial data. A CENTRONIX parallel interface is most frequently used as such a device. Control device 2 converts input data into character fonts and transmits font data to an output device 3, controls the operation of the entire printer, and displays error information, such as information indicating the exhaustion of printing paper or the like, on a display output unit 5. Output device 3 prints character fonts on printing paper. Input device 4 includes switches to turn on and off a power supply, and to input commands for sheet feeding. These switches are arranged on the surface of the printer. In the external appearance of the printer shown in FIG. 2B, which shows an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2A, reference numerals 31, 32, 38, 34 and 35 represent an on-line switch, a line-feed switch, a page-change switch, a fine-forward-feed switch and a fine-reverse-feed switch, respectively. Since the position of each of such input units can be confirmed by touch, such units can be used even by visually-handicapped people.
Referring again to FIG. 1, display output unit 5 displays the states of the power supply, the printing paper and the like using LED's (light-emitting diodes) or the like. Such display devices are arranged on the front surface of the apparatus. In the external appearance of the printer shown in FIG. 2B, reference numerals 29, 30, 36 and 37 represent a power-supply indicator (red), an on-line indicator (red), a paper indicator (orange) and an error indicator (orange), respectively. These indicators constitute the display output unit 5 shown in FIG. 1. Since the display of these indicators depends on the functioning of the visual sense, a visually-handicapped person cannot know even whether or not they are lit, much less their color.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of circuitry of the above-described display output unit 5. Output terminals of control device 2 are connected to input terminals P1-P4 of display output device 5. If any one of the terminals P1-P4 assumes a high level, the polarity of the signal at that terminal is inverted by open-collector inverter circuit element (LS05) IC8 to drive the corresponding one of LED's LD1-LD4. Resistors R71-R74 are stabilizing resistors of input circuitry of the respective inverter circuit elements IC8. Resistors R75-R78 are current-limiting resistors for the respective LED's. Terminal Vcc is connected to the power-supply voltage to supply the circuit elements and LED's with power.
A visually-handicapped person may manage to perform an input operation by training his tactile sense, but cannot visually know the mode display output of a printer. One of the solutions for such a problem is "OPTACON" (a product name) which has been developed by Dr. John G. Linvill of the Stanford University in 1971 and has been marketed by the TSI Company. The name "OPTACON" stands for "Optical to tactile converter". An OPTACON device is 16 cm wide, 16 cm deep and 4.8 cm high, has a weight of 840 grams, and is portable. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the OPTACON device. The operation of the device will be described with reference to FIG. 4.
In FIG. 4, illuminating device 41 includes a small electric lamp and a reflecting mirror (not shown). Document 43 is illuminated by illuminating light 42 from illuminating device 41. Image pickup device 44 images the image of document 43 passing through a zoom lens (not shown) onto a small silicon photodiode, named a silicon retina, which serves as an eye's retina, and converts the image into electrical signals. The optical magnification can be changed in the range of 2.5 by changing the magnification of the zoom lens. Processing device 45 extracts signals necessary to form characters and symbols from the electrical signals, and transmits the extracted signals to display device 46. Display device 46 is also termed a tactile board, and has 100 small holes in total, i.e., 5 columns of holes in the vertical direction and 20 rows of holes in the horizontal direction, each hole accommodating a pin. When an electrical signal is transmitted from processing device 45 to display device (tactile board) 46, the corresponding pins are raised from the holes and finely vibrate in a direction vertical with respect to the surface of the board.
FIG. 5 illustrates a pin arrangement of display device (tactile board) 46, comprising 5 columns of holes in the vertical direction and 7 rows of holes in the horizontal direction. A black circle indicates a state in which a pin is raised from the corresponding hole. A white circle indicates a state in which a pin is situated at its original position. By touching the pin pattern with his fingers, the user can recognize a character "". A black circle present on the fifth row and the first column indicates noise. Such noise is produced caused by a stain, or the adherence of ink or the like on the surface of the paper. If the amount of noise is increased, tactile sensing of information becomes difficult.
In the case of a black character written on white paper, only pins corresponding to black portions are raised and vibrate to notify the user's fingers of the form of the character as it is seen. Thus, the user can know using an OPTACON device not only printed characters, but also hand-written characters, a drawing, a music note, the pattern of a material of clothes, and the like. The user can even know the display outputs of the above-described indicators of the printer.
However, the above-described conventional output method, in which information on a display output picture surface is converted into a pin pattern using an image pickup device, has the following problems.
1) The image pickup device must be pressed against the output picture surface of a visual display (for example, an (indicator), causing difficulty in its operation. Particularly when the output picture surface of a visual display, such as an indicator, has a small size, it is difficult to position the image pickup device with respect to the picture surface.
2) A change in the display output cannot be known unless the image pickup device continues to be pressed against the picture surface of a visual display, such as an indicator. For that purpose, the user must use his two hands, and so he cannot perform other operations.